Batman runs Buenos Aires Half Marathon to honor murdered Bibas family

Yoel Levy, a 26-year-old British-Israeli runner and coach known online as @thejewishfitnesscoach, will run the Buenos Aires Half Marathon this Sunday dressed as Batman. His participation is not for personal attention but as a tribute to the Bibas-Silberman family, whose children Ariel and Kfir were kidnapped from their kibbutz on October 7, 2023, and later murdered along with their mother, Shiri.

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Running is my way of expressing myself and doing something meaningful. What started as a race became something much bigger. Now I travel to communities around the world, running dressed as Batman and using the attention it generates to ensure their names and their story are not forgotten.

Levy chose to wear the Batman costume, Ariel's favorite superhero, to keep the memory of the murdered children and their mother alive. He has previously run marathons in cities worldwide, including London, Sydney, Tel Aviv, Mexico City, and New York, all while honoring the Bibas family. His run in Buenos Aires carries particular weight because Yosi Silberman, the grandfather of Ariel and Kfir and father of Shiri, was an Argentine who emigrated to Israel and was also killed with his wife.

"Running is my way of expressing myself and doing something meaningful," Levy told La Nación. "What started as a race became something much bigger. Now I travel to communities around the world, running dressed as Batman and using the attention it generates to ensure their names and their story are not forgotten."

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The Argentina has a connection very special with this story. Yosi Silberman, father of Shiri and grandfather of Ariel and Kfir, was born in Argentina before emigrating to Israel. Yosi and his wife Margit were murdered on October 7 in Kibbutz Nir Oz, and Shiri, Ariel and Kfir were kidnapped and subsequently murdered.

The connection to Argentina is profound. Yosi and Margit Silberman were killed on October 7th in Kibbutz Nir Oz, while Shiri, Ariel, and Kfir were kidnapped and subsequently murdered. Levy stated that coming to Buenos Aires is "incredibly significant" and aims for the race to remember all five Bibas-Silberman family members who perished. He also noted the strong support from the local Jewish community for Israel and the Bibas family since October 7th.

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Coming to Buenos Aires is incredibly significant. I wanted this race to serve to remember the five members of the Bibas-Silberman family who died. I have also seen the great support that the Jewish community here has provided to Israel and the Bibas family since October 7.